Shall We?
by crazygirlne
Summary: When Rose manages to keep her hold on the lever in Canary Wharf, the Doctor has another chance to tell her how he feels. Tumblr prompt, Doomsday fixit
1. Chapter 1

Marked complete for now, but I may continue this. Tumblr prompt from valiantdefenderoftheearth: "Have you ever gotten a prompt for Ten/Rose first kiss in an AU where he actually admits he loves her?"

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><p>Rose tightened her grip on the lever, slick hands and strong pull from the void making it nearly impossible to keep hold of the thin piece of rubber and metal.<p>

"Rose, hold on! Hold on!"

She managed to wrap both hands firmly around it, the Doctor watching her with a deafening silence. She used both arms and pulled, as hard as she could, calling on decade-old training and more recent strengthening of muscles during their frequent "bits in between," as the Doctor had called their more challenging encounters. Finally, finally she was able to hook one arm around the lever, the other hand tightened below the grip to keep her from slipping upward.

"Hold on, Rose," the Doctor repeated, tension replacing panic.

She shut her eyes, putting all of her concentration into holding on. Seconds passed, moments lasting hours, and the void closed.

Rose's feet and legs dropped to the floor. She heard the Doctor's trainers, soles slapping the hard surface, as he came to a stop next to her.

"Alright?" he asked, voice low. She took a deep breath and opened eyes she'd not realized were still shut. Her arm was tight as she unwound it. She looked up at the Doctor, his brown eyes watching her, a hand outstretched to help her up. Rose nodded, took his hand, and stood, immediately finding herself wrapped in the Doctor's embrace.

"I thought I'd lost you." He buried his face in the crook of her neck.

Her hands came up to grab his jacket, pulling him even closer. "I thought maybe he was gonna be right. The beast, when he said I was gonna die in battle. I started slipping, and I thought, 'This is it, this is the day I die.'"

His arms tightened further, and she could feel his hearts pounding. She snaked her arms around his waist.

"Said you were gonna stay with me forever."

Rose pulled back slightly, and the Doctor lifted his head to look at her.

"Why'd you try to send me away again?"

"I know what it's like to be without a family, Rose. I was…" He trailed off, jaw clenching briefly before he continued. "I didn't want to do that to you, didn't want you here when you could've… You let go of that clamp, and I was sure I was living a nightmare." He swallowed hard, eyes pleading for understanding, forgiveness.

Rose reached a hand to cup his cheek, much as he'd done for her in a church in 1987, and he leaned into her touch without breaking eye contact.

"I'm sorry," he said. He opened his mouth to speak again, then closed it, watching her instead.

The image of Jackie Tyler faded, the console room empty again save for Rose and the Doctor.

"And we can't get back to that world at all? There's no way to talk to her again?" Rose sniffed and wiped a tear from her cheek, turning toward the Doctor.

"We can't," he answered. "The walls are sealed."

She nodded, then smiled shakily. "What're we going to do? Next, I mean?"

"Same old life," he answered, mouth pulling up to one side, a hand reaching out to stroke her upper arm. "The Doctor and Rose Tyler, in the TARDIS, as it should be."

She chuckled, then stepped forward, wrapping her arms around him. He returned the embrace. His hands ran lightly along her back, and she ducked her head to press her face into his chest. She breathed in his scent, a clean spice, and took comfort in the strength they gave each other. They'd almost been separated. She'd nearly…

"I…" she mumbled into his chest. She inhaled, focusing on his strong arms around her, on the soft look she knew he was giving her. She saw his face after he'd gotten out of the pit, his expression when he tried to explain watching his companions die. She remembered the worry he'd tried to hide when she could have asked to stay with her father in the parallel universe, how many people he'd left, been left by, and she swallowed before speaking again. "I love you."

He froze, his hands ceasing their caresses, and she sought words to apologize, to make sure things would stay normal without taking back what she'd said. When he tightened his arms around her, she remained quiet instead.

"Quite right, too," he said, voice colored with something like disbelief, maybe awe. "And… I suppose I could have missed my last chance to say it." He loosened his hold on her, then pulled back far enough to allow his eyes to scan her face. "Rose Tyler…" He seemed to stop breathing, and Rose moved a hand to his chest, felt his hearts beating as hard as her own. "I love you."

The breath rushed out of her. Three words. Three words, so often unsaid, left for unfinished sentences, shared in touches and looks, and now he'd said them, they both had, and he was watching her as if terrified, as if convinced she would retract her statement. She curled her hand around his lapel and pulled him toward her, crashing her lips into his.

He remained motionless for a fraction of a second, then responded, soft, cool lips shaping to hers, touching, tasting, almost teasing in their gentleness. The kiss was brief, chaste, but somehow perfectly timed, and as they pulled apart, Rose looked up at the Doctor, his eyes just inches away.

"Hello," she said, smile growing when his stunned look gave way to his own grin.

"Hello," he responded, beaming.

"What's next for us, then?" she asked, and he looked panicked a moment before letting her go, twirling away to fiddle with the console.

"Let's set it to random, hmm? Haven't done that for a bit." He grinned at her, flipped a lever, then made his way back over to her, pressing his lips to hers once more before returning to the controls.

She moved to stand at the console, turning a memorized dial when he nodded at her. The TARDIS shuddered and groaned, and Rose laughed in delight as the Doctor continued spinning while moving around the console, coming to a stop next to her when the TARDIS bumped to a halt.

"Let's see where we are, shall we?" He held out a hand, and she took it, nodding, returning his smile.

"Together."


	2. Chapter 2

Follow-up prompt from valiantdefenderoftheearth: "The DoctorRose AU you just wrote in response to my prompt was so lovely that I want to know what happens next! Would you consider another untimed prompt for the adventure they have where the TARDIS landed at the end of that story? :)"

Beta: Scullywolf

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><p>The Doctor and Rose Tyler walked out of the TARDIS together, hand in hand. This in itself wasn't anything new, hardly noteworthy. The look he gave her when she studied their surroundings, as if his delight were dependent on her, had been present more often than not since they'd started traveling together.<p>

She grinned at him, a bit of tongue visible, and his eyes darted to her mouth. He stepped closer to her, leaning in slowly, brushing his lips against hers, then pressing them more firmly, lingering a moment before stepping back.

"That's new," said Rose, smiling up at him.

He beamed and made a happy noise at the back of his throat, then turned and led her away from the TARDIS, their hands still linked. "Kissing Rose Tyler," he said. "I think we should start every new adventure that way."

"Okay," she said, still smiling. "So where are we, Doctor?"

"We're on Flor'kliat, about a hundred years before their industrial revolution, by the look of things. They expand quickly after developing the proper tools, and from where we are…." He looked around, tongue curled to touch his top teeth. "Ha! C'mon, Rose, this way." He grinned, eyes sparkling, and together they ran.

Rose laughed. The wind that blew the hair around her face smelled vaguely of berries, and it was exhilarating dodging the loosely-packed trees that surrounded them. The sun slipped through the red-tinted leaves, casting an orange glow over the woods. The trees thinned further, and the Doctor spun suddenly, taking a few steps backward to slow their speed before catching her in his arms, spinning her once and then setting her down again and kissing her gently, leaving her unsure of whether she was dizzy from the movement or from his actions.

They smiled against each other's lips for a moment, then twined fingers together once more, continuing their trek at a more leisurely pace.

"Where are we going, then?" asked Rose, catching her breath.

"Well, as I said, at this time, the planet's inhabitants don't have the proper equipment for expanding their cities. If I'm not mistaken," he said, tilting his head to listen, "we're in a section of the planet they've not even been able to reach yet. They'll reach this area in, oh, say, two hundred years. But," he paused, and Rose could hear an indistinct noise growing louder, "when they reach where we're headed, they build around it, leaving it intact, a sort of natural centerpiece to one of the most popular tourist destinations in this quadrant."

Rose listened. She heard a rushing noise, wind through leaves or water against rock, neither completely unexpected in the middle of the wilderness. There was a second noise with it, musical, almost a chime. It grew louder, the Doctor's grin growing with the sound, and they picked up their pace slightly.

The trees cleared, and Rose gasped. In front of them was a waterfall gushing from a large hill, falling into a small pond that then trickled away in a creek. The waterfall sparkled, reflecting dozens of colors, and music was audible over the roar of water.

They got closer, and the Doctor stopped, releasing Rose's hand and stepping behind her, wrapping his arm around her waist. Rose covered his hands with hers and leaned back against him. He tilted his head forward so he could speak in her ear, be heard without yelling.

"Along the hill, underneath the waterfall, is a series of chambers made of a rock that's much, much more durable than diamond. It's clear, which is what gives the water the ability to reflect far more color than your typical waterfall, even more colors than the human eye can register. The chambers create music as the liquid rushes past, different tones in various seasons, depending on the water level. Because of the nature of the rock, it continues to do this for as long as there's running water. It's unique, the only natural occurrence of this kind, though, of course, man-made replications do pop up as it grows in popularity. For now, though, there's just the one."

He rested his chin on her shoulder, his cheek against hers.

"And we're the first ones to see it?" she asked.

"Yup."

Rose rested her head against his upper chest, closing her eyes. She listened to the water-made music, felt the Doctor's hearts beating against her back, the skin of his hands under her palms.

"Never thought I'd be able to see things like this," she said, opening her eyes again. "Traveling with you, I get to see so much. Thank you."

"Thank _you_," he answered, voice rough, almost too low to catch. "Being able to see things with you makes them so much _better_ than they could ever be on my own." He swallowed, opened his mouth to speak again, then closed it.

A smile played at Rose's lips. "Better with two, yeah?"

He turned his face so she could feel his smile curve slowly against her cheek.

"Yeah."


End file.
